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Finland and Sweden have recorded the coldest temperatures of the winter so far with thermometers falling to minus 40C (minus 40F), or even lower, as the countries remained in the grip of the Nordic cold snap.

The temperature dropped to minus 41.6C (minus 42.8F) in Nikkaluokta, a small village in northern Sweden, on Tuesday, Swedish public broadcaster SVT said.

Several other areas of the same region have seen minus 30C (minus 22F), according to the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute.

SVT meteorologist Nils Holmqvist said: “It’s the coldest temperature we have had so far this winter, and it will continue to be quite cold weather in the north.”

The freezing conditions have caused substantial problems for train travel in the north, Swedish rail operators said, among other issues.

And it may be about to get worse, as the institute has issued its second-highest warning for snow and wind from midnight into Wednesday.

In neighbouring Finland, the coldest reading of its winter so far was recorded in the northwestern town of Ylivieska where the temperature fell to minus 37.8C (minus 36F) early on Tuesday. It dropped to lower than minus 30C (minus 22F) in parts of the Arctic Lapland region.

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Helsinki won’t escape either, with temperatures of between minus 15C (5F) and minus 20C (minus 4F) expected in the Finnish capital all this week.

But the Finnish Meteorological Institute has warned it could be much colder in parts of the country, with temperatures getting even lower than minus 40C (minus 40F).

In southern Norway, a section of the E18 highway was closed due to a weather-related situation, police said on X.

In Denmark, the Danish Road Directorate said it had closed a key bridge to vehicles with light trailers because of strong winds that can affect driving.

Heavy snow was expected over the northern part of the country, according to the Danish Meteorological Institute.

Eurovision organisers have teased an apparent Caribbean appearance at this year’s contest.

“New Year! New News!” they announced, in a message shared with more than 1.3 million followers through the official Instagram page, alongside a clip showing crystal clear waters and golden beaches.

“We’re thrilled to confirm that THE CARIBBEAN is coming to the Eurovision Song Contest 2024,” the post said. “Stay tuned, we can’t wait to tell you more.”

The 2024 event takes place in Malmo in Sweden, with Olly Alexander recently announced as the UK’s act.

Could he be facing competition from a Caribbean entrant? No further details have been given, but Eurovision followers were quick to point out the obvious upon seeing the teaser.

“It’s Eurovision not Worldvision,” replied one.

“I must have been too busy sipping virtual coconut water to catch the exact moment when the Caribbean decided to swing by Europe,” wrote another.

“There are so many countries in the Caribbean,” another responded.

So it’s not a country. And it’s definitely not in Europe. But, that hasn’t stopped Eurovision organisers before.

In 2015, having broadcast the competition since 1983, Australia (also definitely not in Europe) was invited to join the party to commemorate Eurovision’s 60th anniversary.

It was supposed to be a one-off, but the Aussies went on to contribute in subsequent years – with contestant Dami Im finishing as runner-up in 2016 with her song, Sound Of Silence.

Morocco also competed in 1980.

But as one follower pointed out: “There’s a lot of European territories in the Caribbean so maybe they’re announcing that a Caribbean artist is representing a European country?”

Sky News has contacted Eurovision organisers for more information. Watch this space.

Hamas has said one of its top officials, Saleh al Arouri, has been killed in an explosion in Beirut – blaming the “cowardly assassination” on Israel.

Al Arouri was one of the founders of Hamas’s military wing and the deputy leader of the group’s political bureau. He also headed Hamas’s presence in the West Bank.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the blast in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh killed four people and was carried out by an Israeli drone.

Izzat al Rishq, a member of the political bureau of Hamas, has said al Arouri was killed in a “cowardly assassination” by Israel – and warned such attacks “will not succeed in breaking the will and steadfastness of our people, or undermining the continuation of their valiant resistance”.

He added: “It proves once again the abject failure of this enemy to achieve any of its aggressive goals in the Gaza Strip.”

Hezbollah has said the blast that killed al Arouri was a “serious assault on Lebanon”.

The Lebanese militant group also said the death of al Arouri is a “dangerous development in the course of the war”.

Hezbollah added that the killing “will not go without a response or punishment” and said the “axis of resistance” – a coalition of anti-Israeli and anti-Western groups backed by Iran – has its “finger on the trigger”.

Meanwhile, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said the “martyr’s blood will undoubtedly ignite another surge in the veins of resistance and motivation to fight” against Israel.

Mr Kanaani also condemned the violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened to kill al Arouri even before the Hamas-Israel war began on 7 October 2023.

Hamas official Bassem Naim has confirmed al Arouri was killed in the blast.

Israeli officials declined to comment.

An explosion shook the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs on Tuesday evening causing chaos in Hezbollah’s stronghold, but the nature of the blast was not immediately known.

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It was not clear if the explosion inflicted any casualties in the Beirut suburb, but videos circulating on social media showed serious damage and fire.

The explosion came during more than two months of heavy exchanges of fire between Israeli troops and members of Hezbollah along Lebanon’s southern border.

Since the fighting began it has been concentrated a few miles from the border, but on several occasions Israel’s air force hit Hezbollah targets deeper in Lebanon.

Earlier in the day, Hezbollah said its fighters carried out several attacks along the Lebanon-Israel border targeting Israeli military posts.